Breaks don't go Wild's way in 4-2 loss to Rangers

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Mar 14, 2026

Published in Hockey

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ryan Hartman looked up, waiting for the video evidence to show how that last shot of his didn’t go into the net.

He had the puck on his stick and a sprawled Igor Shesterkin in the Rangers crease. But instead of his backhand connecting with the open net, the puck fluttered through the crease above Shesterkin.

Oh, and the goalie didn’t even have to move for his next save: Mats Zuccarello whacked the rebound right into Shesterkin’s belly.

That was the Wild’s night in a nutshell, a 4-2 loss to New York on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena in which the close calls worked against them and in favor of the Rangers.

Shesterkin made 45 stops, and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov had a goal and two assists to help New York to a 2-0 lead in the first period. After Matt Boldy scored on the power play early in the second, the Rangers pulled away on two goals in 22 seconds.

Danila Yurov added his second goal in three games, Filip Gustavsson finished with 14 saves, and the Wild dropped their second in a row to a non-playoff team in captain Jared Spurgeon’s 1,000th career game.

How it happened

Like in the 3-2 shootout loss to Philadelphia two nights earlier, the Wild trailed first, getting behind only 2 minutes, 41 seconds into the first period on a goal by Noah Laba, who buried a shot off the rush during his team’s first of three power plays.

Then with 5 minutes to go in the first, Gavrikov drained a no-look backhander, wiring the puck between Gustavsson and the near post.

The Wild started the second period on the power play after Hartman drew his first of three penalties of the game, and Boldy needed only 35 seconds to capitalize: He wove through the Rangers before eluding Shesterkin with a wrister for his 38th goal of the season, which tied Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead and second in the NHL.

Boldy is up to 75 points after breaking his previous career high of 73 last game with a goal. He has scored in three straight games, and Gustavsson picked up an assist on the goal; so did Quinn Hughes.

Turning point

But New York snuffed out a Wild comeback by scoring twice in 22 seconds.

First, Jaroslav Chmelar netted only the second goal of his NHL career when he got behind the Wild and skated in alone to lift in a backhander by Gustavsson 8:41 into the second period.

Then at 9:03, Gavrikov’s shot was redirected by Vincent Trocheck before the puck banked into the Wild net off Hartman’s skate.

The Wild would get a 4-minute power play late in the second that carried over into the third period after Hartman was high-sticked, but they couldn’t take advantage; same with another chance later in the period despite dangerous pressure. They went 1 for 7, which included Kirill Kaprizov hitting the post.

Yurov posted the 10th goal of his rookie season 7:19 into the third, tipping in a pass from Vladimir Tarasenko.

Later, a line brawl broke out after Shesterkin turned in front of a skating Joel Eriksson Ek, but it was Eriksson Ek who was penalized on the play for goaltender interference.

Key stat

The Wild scored just once on 21 shots in the second period, their highest total in any period this season.

Up next

The Wild are scheduled to host the Maple Leafs on Sunday, but it remained to be seen if the Leafs — playing at Buffalo on Saturday night — would be able to fly into the Twin Cities because of the weather.